1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to earmuffs and more particularly, to an earmuff assembly which allows convenient adjustment of the length of the headband and the angular positions of the ear cups to fit different wearing conditions, and is covered with a soft fabric material for optimal wearing comfort.
2. Description of the Related Art
In autumn and winter, people may dress in heavy clothes to protect the body against the cold. In addition to a fur coat, wind coat or snow coat, people may also wear a hat, gloves, scarf, muff and/or other accessories for warmth. However, the aforesaid warm-keeping devices cannot directly protect the ears against the cold. When exposing the ears to the cold weather, the ears may suffer from a freezing injury or become painful. More particularly, when the cold wind passes or when one is in a low temperature place, cold mountain or snowland area, exposing the ears to the freezing air may cause a serious injury.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,835,609 discloses an ear covering device, entitled “Ear Protection Device”. As illustrated in FIG. 16, this design of ear protection device comprises a headband A and two ear cups B on each end. The headband A is contemplated to be flexible so that the space between opposite ear cups B may be enlarged to permit attachment of the covering device onto the back of the head. Each ear cup B includes a frusto-conical frame portion having a central opening therein. Fabric C covers the frusto-conical portion of the ear cups B as well as the flexible headband A.
This design of ear protection device is still not satisfactory in function and has drawbacks as follows:    1. The ear protection device can simply be attached to the user's head from the top side or the back.    2. The looped portions A1 protrude over the bottom side of the headband A. When the user wears the ear protection device, the protruding looped portions A1 are directly stopped against the user's head, causing the head to feel uncomfortable.    3. After adjustment of the length, the elements of the headband A may slip relative to the respective looped portions A1, and consequently, the ear cups B may fall from the ears accidentally.    4. The ear cups B are respectively fastened to the ends of the headband A by a respective small fastening member D. When the user adjusts the angle of each ear cup B relative to the ears, the connection area between the headband A and the ear cup B may break easily, losing the functionality of the ear protection device.    5. The ear cups B are not strong enough for positive positioning on the user's head around each ear to keep the ears well protected.    6. The ear cups B are respectively affixed to the ends of the headband A. When not in use, the ear protection device cannot be collapsed to reduce the size for storage. When storing or carrying the ear protection device, the ear protection device may be deformed or damaged accidentally by an external pressure.    7. The ear cups B are respectively affixed to the ends of the headband A and not detachable. The fabric C must be covered on the frusto-conical portion of the ear cups B and the flexible headband A prior to connection between the ear cups B and the flexible headband A, complicating the assembly process.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an ear protection device, which eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks.